Xbox 360 bests rivals on games sold per console metric

The tie ratios for the current generation hardware from Nintendo, Sony, and …

With the holiday season looming, the big three in Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are all expecting to post big software and hardware sales numbers as families pick up consoles and games. Who will come out on top when Christmas has passed largely depends on which company is in the best position to prosper from the combination of hardware and software sales, and new data reveals that Microsoft is likely to outperform the competition

According to Gamasutra, which recently pooled data from official numbers published by Nintendo, the Xbox 360 is leading the way with the highest ratio of software to consoles sold, also known as the tie ratio, and looks to continue its success in North America with a strong holiday season. Ratios were measured from each console's first 23 months on the market.

A console's tie ratio, or attachment rate, illustrates how many games were sold for every console purchased, so the measurement is relative to the installed base. Tie ratio typically increases overtime as software sales grow while hardware sales slow. This means, of course, that if the hardware continues to sell well, the tie ratio could actually go down over time. Regardless, the measure is used as a means by which the relative success and prosperity of a console can be measured and predicted.

Data source: Gamasutra

The Xbox 360 is currently sitting pretty with a 5.2 (to one) ratio for third-party software and a 1.4 ratio for first-party software for a total tie ratio of 6.6. Nintendo and Sony follow in second and third place, respectively, though the race between the two in terms of tie ratio is quite close. Nintendo has a 3.1 ratio in third-party software and the leading ratio in first-party sales of 2.4 for a total tie ratio of 5.5 from its launch through to September 2008. Sony, on the other hand, trails closely behind with a third-party software ratio of 4.4 and a first-party ratio of 0.9 for a total ratio of 5.3.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Metal Gear Solid 4 were fingered as key variance points for the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3, respectively, as the two companies both witnessed a bump in ratio following the release of those two significant titles.

From the ratio, it can also be inferred that cross-platform, third-party titles are still being sold more frequently on the Xbox 360 than the PS3, as the tie ratio for third party titles is significantly more for the Xbox 360, despite the relatively similar amounts of third-party titles. This third-party area, which is crucial for the Xbox 360 and PS3 overall, is also noticeably smaller on the Wii, which has missed out on many cross-platform titles due to the nature of the Wii hardware and has instead seen a sea of alternate third-party games.

At launch, the Wii came out of the gate with a strong tie ratio of 3.0 thanks to launch titles like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Red Steel, and Excite Truck. The PlayStation 3 launch ratio was at a meager 1.5, with Resistance: Fall of Man, by far, the title of choice for new owners. But the Xbox 360 led the pack when it launched a year prior to the Wii and PS3, with a tie ratio of 3.9 on the back of games like Call of Duty 2 and Perfect Dark Zero.

For the most part, these tie ratios should come as no surprise. Microsoft has long enjoyed the benefit of being host to the better versions of cross-platform software, so seeing the company's tie ratio on third-party software tower above the competition isn't unexpected. Likewise, Nintendo's historically successful and high-quality first-party software continues to sell in record numbers on the Wii. And the PS3 is still suffering from the effects of a rocky launch but shows signs of improvement.

Judging by the tie ratios, the console war shows no signs of slowing down. However, this year's software landscape is decidedly different than last year's so these numbers will still be very much in flux. First- and second-party titles, like Gears of War 2, Banjo-Kazooie, Resistance 2, and LittleBigPlanet, aren't going up against the juggernauts of last year's third-party megahits like Bioshock and Assassin's Creed, so one can expect a different set of ratios next year. The holiday season is very much a war of the first-party software this year, and that should make for a noticeable change in ratios going forward.